Hempstead town officials and the Levittown Union Free School District are up in arms over a question on the state?s eighth-grade social studies exam.

Question 34 on the exam shows a picture of a shantytown during the depression. It reads, ?As a way of criticizing the federal government during the early 1930s - areas such as those shown in this photograph were often referred to as ? a.) tenements b.) ghettos c.) Levittowns or d.) Hoovervilles.?

Officials say the question is derogatory and lumps Levittown in with tenements and ghettos. Some in the community feel the question is insulting for the town. Others think some people are overreacting about the question?s answer choices.

A statement from the State Education Department reads, ?Obviously Levittown was an incorrect answer to the question. We meant no disrespect to Levittown or to those who live there. We regret any misunderstanding.?

The correct answer to the question on the exam was Hoovervilles.